Mailbox



Nov.16, 1943. F. A. QUALLS MAIL BOX Filed Aug. 15, 1942 l w m m A R MM v a 5 W 1 2 6,0 32

Patented Nov. 16, 1 943 I assess! Frans a. Q' ialls, seattiawash. Li Application August-15, 1942; seminal-teases 7 teams. rotate-ii) This invention relates to inail-- boxes, and par- 7 ticularly to mail boxes with adjustable drawers and means for retaining the'drawers in position, and for the removal thereof. v i

In the usual construction of private mail boxes, difliculties have been found'by letters becoming lodged; in upper portions of :theboxes and not discovered; and in damages to mails; in the boxes from dustandraimend especially difficulties; in removing the accumulated mails from the boxes, and in retaining the drawers in proper position in the boxes for reeeivingand storing thejmails. After carrying and delivering mails for'many years, andmakingexperiments to overcome such diflidu'lties I have invented a box that satisfactorily meets all former objections, as hereinafter shown.

It is among the objects of invention pro-g I vide an inexpensive and easily eonstructed box, and extra tor" drawer for receiving and removing the friail fio'ffi the ox, with means for retaining theur awer in closed p sition, and means fordiverting all lnail ifitfi the rawer, and for guarddistanos above t moving such drawer an mails therewi riey;

gravity. x A particularobjebt is to" provide such a box with an u per slot ford'epofsitof {nail and. iilar rotatably disposed through the doorway, with special latching means for retaining. the drawer in closed position; and means for automatically releasing'from the latch by tilting and sliding the drawer for removal thereof with accumulated mails, together with a rack on top of the box for retaining newspapers and the like.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter stated, I have illustratively exemplified my invention by the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the assembled box.

drawer.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section view taken along the center of the box, showing the drawer in closed position, and letters therein.

Figure 2 is a perspectiveview of the extractor ticula'rly' letters therein, and a doorway attlie lower end of thebox;;and a drawer slidably and e r and s for holding bu etc. Anoifdir'iaryslot'l l is'firovided for the deposit'theremer letters, tcfi w'ith a hinged flap or e over l2 r r-exe adinge stand ram,- rrom'u e V slot, 1

A game p1ate- |3isamxed mtiieupper portion or the inner face ofthe' back wan, the lower edge of which is formecl'withj 'a b'ev'el r sep is-ward ailddbwnwa rd, I01 the" purposes-of '9, latch, and v for guiding" lettersinto the drawer below the 'same and to reventlettersfrom catchin onthe top of the rear wall of the drawer. The said drawer is foririedwitha rear wall 18, base I! and front panel or do'or l8, and is slidably disposed through a doorwayxlfl inthe lower portion of the box. The rear wall I6 is taller thanthe doorway, and in order to insert the drawer the base is necessarilytilted andthexw'all: [6 then inserted and pressed backagainst the box wal1'6. The top edge'of the walllG- is beveled with a face l5 sloping downward and inward; andso-readily slides beneath the latchil l when thedrawer is inserted on an angle. When the drawer is lowered flatly upon the fioor,;t he sloping edge l5 becomes. securely locked behind the latch, and the drawer cannot then 1 be withdrawn by a straight horizontal outwardpull, andis so maintained in closed position against tampering of children, or jars of any sort, but may be readily withdrawn by a proper-tilting thereof by the understanding operator.

The lower edge of the front wall 5, is also beveled to providean inward and downward sloping face 20, the upper edge of the front of the drawer or door I8 in doorway I9, is also beveled to provide an inward and downward slope 2| which normally abuts against the face 20 when the drawer is in 'closed position and thus prevents entrance of dust and rain into the box and drawer from injuring the mails, indicated as letters 24. In order to prevent rain water that may run down the front wall 5 from seeping through above the door, the latter is provided with a secondary bevel 22 or face sloping downward and outward and the ridge above, while normally abutting the upper face 20, tends to divert any such descending water to the outside ofthe door." The 7 front face of the drawer, is preferably extended below the floor level and narrowed to provide a handle or lever 25, for tilting and operating the drawer, and for supporting the drawer with one hand by theoperator while the mail is being rete'r'ided to suitable moved therefrom by the other hand, and the rear lower corner or heel of drawer base 21 is rounded which is important to facilitate the sliding or rolling of the heel along the floor of the box when the drawer is being moved into and from closed position therein, and also to facilitate the entry of the drawer over the outer edge of the floor and downward gradualmovement of the drawer from outside the edge of the floor when the mail is to be removed. V e

In use, the drawer is inserted by tipping andlowering the rear wall l6 for passing through the doorway and the face l under the sloping latch H. The drawer is then lowered upon the floor I0, and cannot be withdrawn against .the latch by a horizontal pull, and'the doorway. will be sealed against entrance of dust and water, by

the abutting bevels on the front door, and lower,

edge of box front wall. Mail and particularly 7 letters may be then dropped into the box slot, andwill be guidedbetween the front and rear walls of the drawer, and cannot lodge against the top or rear wall because of the sloping point M, which also serves asthe retaining latch. Any desired transparent window as =-will enable the owner toobserve when mail isin the drawer, and he may then easily withdraw the same, by tilting the lever and the drawer till the heel slides outward, andthen downward, over the sloping and retracted edge 10' of the floor. The mail maybe then graspedin one hand and none be overlooked as the drawer has no sides.forconcealment. The correspondingbevelsll, i5, 20 and '2 l, permit the drawer ito'be swung open, and

closed. j

In the operation of removing the drawer and mail therein, it will. be understood that the drawer'serves'as the depositary, and removal of the mail is accomplished by gravity with the box, which is the guide therefor. 7

Both the box, and drawer are preferably made from plywood, of suitable dimensions for the slidably and rotatably disposed in the box through the doorway, a front on the drawer for a door'for closing the doorway and having a bevel along the upper front edge for abutting against a corresponding bevel on the lower edge of the front wall of the box for excluding dust and water and to facilitate the tilting of the door, a plate inside the back of the box having the lower edge thereof beveled outward to guide .mail into the drawer and for a latch for normally retaining the drawer in closed position against accidental and horizontal outward movement, a rear wall on the drawer higher than the doorway top and beveled backward along its top to fit beneath the beveled latch on the plate to prevent the opening of the drawer by horizontal movement, a lever extended from the door of the drawer to facilitate the tilting of the drawer, for entryand removal thereof through the doorway and for manual support of the drawer while mail is being removed therefrom. f

2. A mail box provided with a horizontal passageway near the bottom thereof, a receptacle for gathering and removal of mails --adjustably disposed through the passageway, said receptacle comprising a base and a'front and rear wall, the top of said rear wall provided'with an oblique face a down turned guide 'plate'aiiixed to the inside of the rear wall of the box for directing mail into the drawer and for a latch for extendirig over said oblique face of the rear wall of the several parts, and the outer surfaces of the box lower portion for removal of the mails, a drawer receptacle'for normallyretaining the same in closed position, a front-wall on the box having an inward sloping face, and the top of the front wall of the receptacle having a cooperating outward sloping face for abutting against the same to exclude water and dust, and to facilitate the up tilting of the receptacle for adjustment under and from said latch, said top of said receptacle front also provided with an inward and downward slope for diverting descending water from entering the receptacle and the rear lower corner of the receptacle basehaving a rounded lower rear corner to facilitate sliding' movement of such corner along the floor of the box, and to permit the receptacle to be gradually inserted over the front edge of the ,floor and also removed therefrom when mail is to be removed therefrom.

I FRANK -A. QUALLs. 

